What Does The Bible Has To Say About Polygamy?
Copyright © 2008 by Dr.J.AMcBean Library of Congress Washington.D.C.20559
P o-lyg-a-my 1. The condition or practice of having more than one spouse at one time. Also called plural marriage. Among Christians, the one wife practice is shrouded in hypocrisy. One of my friends preached the one wife doctrine with zeal, yet he has one wife in Haiti and one wife in USA. We preach one wife, but in secret, we do something else. Now! Before we go into the study, do not dray any hasty conclusion. Do not read any thing into my article, which was not in it. Also, remember that the responds of others to this article is not my words. Note! That this is my opinions and you should keep to the doctrines of your church.
BEFORE WE GO ON, I MUST SAY:
I have been married for twenty-six years to date. My wife and I have children and grand. Some are away in collages and one goes to collage in our community and live at home. One woman is more that enough for one man. However, Christians woman sometime have more than one man, and some of them use sex to manipulate the marriage. The husband will not do as she says, so he cannot get any sex. Therefore, the one wife thing is not working. Now lets us go to the subject. We will look at the Old Testament account then look at what the New Testament have to say.
POLYGAMY OF THE OLD TESTAMENT:
1Samuel 1:1-AV Now there was a certain man of Ramathaimzophim, of mount Ephraim, and his name [was] Elkanah, the son of Jeroham, the son of Elihu, the son of Tohu, the son of Zuph, an Ephrathite:
1Samuel 1:2-AV And he had two wives; the name of the one [was] Hannah, and the name of the other Peninnah: and Peninnah had children, but Hannah had no children.
1Samuel 1:3-AV And this man went up out of his city yearly to worship and to sacrifice unto the LORD of hosts in Shiloh. And the two sons of Eli, Hophni and Phinehas, the priests of the LORD, [were] there.
1Samuel 27:3-AV And David dwelt with Achish at Gath, he and his men, every man with his household, [even] David with his two wives, Ahinoam the Jezreelitess, and Abigail the Carmelitess, Nabal's wife. ( David has about nine to ten wives.
POLYGAMY OF DAVID AND OTHERS:
Nine Wives of David:
1.Ahinoam (note, 1 Samuel 14:50) 2. Abigail Six Sons Born to David in Hebron:
1.Ammon of Ahinoam of Jezreel (2 Samuel 2:2)
2. Chileab of Abigail (2 Samuel 2:3); called Daniel (1 Chron. 3:1)
3. Absalom of Maacah of Geshur
4. Adonijah of Haggith (2 Samuel 2:4)
5. Shephatiah of Abital
6. Ithream of Eglah (2 Samuel 2:5) Of these six sons and six mothers, half of them had a name beginning with "A." Thirteen Sons Born to David in Jerusalem:
1. Shammuah of Bathsheba (2 Samuel 5:13); called Shimea (1 Chron. 3:5; 1 Chron. 14:4)
2. Shobab of Bathsheba (2 Samuel 5:14); Bathsheba called Bathshua (1 Chron. 3:5; 1 Chron. 14:4) 3. Nathan of Bathsheba (2 Samuel 5:14; 1 Chron. 3:5; 1 Chron. 14:4)
4. Solomon of Bathsheba (2 Samuel 5:14; 1 Chron. 3:5; 1 Chron. 14:4)
5. Ibhar (2 Samuel 5:15; 1 Chron. 3:6; 1 Chron. 14:5)
6. Elishua (2 Samuel 5:15; 1 Chron. 14:5); called Elishama (1 Chron. 3:6; 1 Chron. 14:7)
7. Eliphelet (1 Chron. 3:6); called Epalet (1 Chron. 14:5)
8. Nephed (2 Samuel 5:15; 1 Chron. 3:7; 1 Chron. 14:6)
9. Japhia (2 Samuel 5:15; 1 Chron. 3:7; 1 Chron. 14:6)
10. Nogah (1 Chron. 3:7; 1 Chron. 14:6)
11. Elishama (2 Samuel 5:16; 1 Chron. 3:8; 1 Chron. 14:7)
12. Eliada (2 Samuel 5:16; 1 Chron. 3:8); called Beeliada (1 Chron. 14:7)
13. Eliphalet (2 Samuel 5:15; 1 Chron. 3:8; 1 Chron. 14:7) Daughters Born in Jerusalem: Tamar is mentioned (2 Samuel 13:1; 1 Chron. 3:9), but David had other daughters (2 Samuel 5:13).
WHAT DOES THE NEW TESTAMENT HAVE TO SAY ABOUT POLYGAMY?
The New TESTAMENT of our Bible say that a BISHOP must have one wife. Why a bishop? In addition, who is a bishop? The New TESTAMENT also says that a deacon must have one wife. Why a deacon? In addition, who is a deacon? Moreover, what are his or her responsibilities in the church?
Bishop: A high-ranking Christian cleric, in modern churches usually in charge of a diocese and in some churches regarded as having received the highest ordination in unbroken succession from the apostles.
Deacon: A cleric ranking just below a priest in the Anglican, Eastern Orthodox, and Roman Catholic churches. 2. A Protestant layperson who assists the minister in various functions.
1 Tim. 3:2 A bishop then must be blameless, the husband of one wife, vigilant, sober, of good behaviour, given to hospitality, apt to teach;
1 Tim. 3:12 Let the deacons be the husbands of one wife, ruling their children and their own houses well.
Titus 1:6 If any be blameless, the husband of one wife, having faithful children not accused of riot or unruly.
WHY THE DEACONS WERE CHOSEN:
Acts 6:1-AV And in those days, when the number of the disciples was multiplied, there arose a murmuring of the Grecians against the Hebrews, because their widows were neglected in the daily ministration.
Acts 6:2-AV Then the twelve called the multitude of the disciples [unto them], and said, It is not reason that we should leave the word of God, and serve tables.
Acts 6:3-AV Wherefore, brethren, look ye out among you seven men of honest report, full of the Holy Ghost and wisdom, whom we may appoint over this business.
Acts 6:4-AV But we will give ourselves continually to prayer, and to the ministry of the word.
Acts 6:5-AV And the saying pleased the whole multitude: and they chose Stephen, a man full of faith and of the Holy Ghost, and Philip, and Prochorus, and Nicanor, and Timon, and Parmenas, and Nicolas a proselyte of Antioch:
Acts 6:6-AV Whom they set before the apostles: and when they had prayed, they laid [their] hands on them.
Acts 6:7-AV And the word of God increased; and the number of the disciples multiplied in Jerusalem greatly; and a great company of the priests were obedient to the faith.
So accordingly, to the scriptures, the deacon were chosen to look after the physical and financial affairs of the Church. They were chosen because some people were not taking care of in the daily food-feeding program of the church. It is important to remember that all these were taking place in the days of high polygamy. Now! The church has seven deacons and one bishop. Suppose the seven deacons and one bishop have, four wives each? That would be thirty-two wives plus seven deacons and one bishop.
That would be 40 souls. Now suppose the 32 wives have 3 children each. That would be 96 plus 40=136. 136 people eating 4 plates of food per day =554 plates of food in one day. If my math is correct, the church is going to be in the same mess that they were trying to come out of in the first place. That is why the Holy Ghost says that if any man wants to use any of those two offices, they must have only one wife.
WHERE DOES THE ONE WIFE DOCTRINE COME FROM .
Where do the one-wife doctrines come from and who bring it in? I will not say at this time. It is best to let sleeping lions sleep.
"YOUR OWN WIFE YOUR OWN HUSBAND"
This speaks of the subject as singular. However, to make a doctrine, we need one verse from the old Testament and one from the new that are saying the same thing, or two in the New TESTAMENT.
1Corinthians 7:1-AV Now concerning the things whereof ye wrote unto me: [It is] good for a man not to touch a woman.
1Corinthians 7:2-AV Nevertheless, [to avoid] fornication, let every man have his own wife, and let every woman have her own husband.
1Corinthians 7:3-AV Let the husband render unto the wife due benevolence: and likewise also the wife unto the husband.
1Corinthians 7:4-AV The wife hath not power of her own body, but the husband: and likewise also, the husband hath not power of his own body, but the wife.
1Corinthians 7:5-AV Defraud ye not one the other, except [it be] with consent for a time, that ye may give yourselves to fasting and prayer; and come together again, that Satan tempt you not for your incontinency.
1Corinthians 7:6-AV But I speak this by permission, [and] not of commandment.
1Corinthians 7:7-AV For I would that all men were even as I myself. However, every man hath his proper gift of God, one after this manner, and another after that. 1Corinthians 7:8-AV I say therefore to the unmarried and widows, It is good for them if they abide even as I.
SOME MEN CANNOT Contain:
1Corinthians 7:9-AV But if they cannot contain, let them marry: for it is better to marry than to burn.) ( When their wives defrauded them, it opens the door for a sweet heart.
A THING OF PERSONAL CHOICE AND NEEDS:
Polygamy in the old Testament was a thing of personal choice and needs. In my opinion, it could also be the same in the new.
Men today either divorce their wives or find a way to bump her off and make it look like an accident. Some Christians men jump ship and became Muslims where they can have more than one wives and still be apart of their religious community.
THIS IS THE ONLY VERSE THAT JUSTIFY THE ONE WIFE DOCTRINE:
Titus 3:1-AV Put them in mind to be subject to principalities and powers, to obey magistrates, to be ready to every good work,
As Christians, we must obey the law of our country, especially if it do not come against the laws of God.
WHY MEN WANT MORE THAT ONE WOMAN:
Do you know what involved when a man have a mistress? Let me give you an example. One day my mother call me from Jamaica, by the time I came off the phone with her. A woman friend call me from Jamaica, by the time I came off the phone with her. My wife call. It cause me one hundred dollars in phone call, and I did not do $20 work yet. Men who has more that one woman have to spent hours listening to complains.
Many of the time all the women team up against him. Men do not necessarily want to have many wives to deal with. However, the one wife, is taking care of every body in the community except her husband. In most cases the men know, and asked. Where does she get her needs met? Why is she sore? Why she is never in the moods? Why she came home with a different hair style from when she left? Why is her panties in her braw? I saw one woman came on a talk show, she have five men who she claimed that one of them is the father of her baby. It so happen that when the DNA test came out, none of those men were the father. The DNA test has exposed hundred of women. How long can one man sex? That thing hardly lost more that an hour. The one wife doctrine has given women the chance to do, as they like with men.
CHRISTIANS WOMEN:
Christian women sometime uses sex to manipulate the marriage. If the husband do not do as the wife say, she do not give him any vagina. One woman told me, she spited her husband out of sexual pleasures for three months. Finally, the marriage broke up. The preachers know about this problem in the Church, if they preach against it. The people quickly say,” Preachers is having a problem, he talked about sex a lot, it seems like he is the one having the problem"
1 Cor. 7:29 But this I say, brethren, the time is short: it remaineth, that both they that have wives be as though they had none;
REFUSED TO SEEK HELP:
Christians who are having sexual and marital problem refuses to seek help especially from their immediate minister, fearing they might get curst out for jumping out of the will of God.
If we have a problem and go to some kind of Church people with that problem. The first question hit you is this” You should wait upon the lord! Was it the will of God for you to marry her? Did the lord told you to get marry? Then they have a holy way to fix their faces that hurt more than their words.
Update will be posted on my web sites. Remember, do not drink down this article, and go put yourself in any extra marital affair, then when you get belted you blame me.
1 Cor. 7:27 Art thou bound unto a wife? seek not to be loosed. Art thou loosed from a wife? seek not a wife.
Come back for update soon.
"Sword Bearer"